The mass exodus happening on the 40 Acres continues as the Longhorns lose defensive back Ryan Watts to the NFL draft. With his departure, the Longhorns now total seven players going to the 2024 NFL draft alone. Watts chose not to use his extra year of eligibility due to Covid.

Watts originally joined the Longhorns after transferring from Ohio State where he won a Big 10 championship. Since, Watts has won a Big 12 Championship and been to the College Football Playoff as a top cornerback on the team.

As a junior in 2022, the defensive back earned an All-Big 12 team honorable mention as well as an All-Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year honorable mention. Watts started 13 games that year and totaled 51 tackles, an interception and three pass breakups.

This year, Watts missed time against Oklahoma, Houston and Oklahoma State in the conference championship, due to injury. His numbers took a slight decline, finishing the season with 38 total tackles, three pass breakups and one tackle for loss. According to Pro Football Focus, Watts’s player grade declined from 70.6 in 2022 to 63.6 this season. A grade of 70.0 or higher is the mark of an above-average player.

The NFL hopeful had his best game of the season, according to PFF, against BYU with a grade of 74.6. Unfortunately, his worst performance came against the Washington Huskies in the College Football Playoff with a grade of 44.3.

Currently, Watts is not projected to be selected in the draft, but a strong pro-day could change that. Watts remains hopeful for his NFL future.

“Pursuing my lifelong dream of playing in the NFL is a privilege and I am ready to embrace the challenges and opportunities that await,” Watts said in his draft declaration on “X”.